


It Still Hurts

by wowiloveart



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Bullies, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, High School, Homophobic Language, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Sad, kind of, not really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 06:32:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14207199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wowiloveart/pseuds/wowiloveart
Summary: When Max and Rafe came home, Max went straight to their room and slammed the door. Everyone's concerned why.orNone of this happened in real life but I really needed to write my feelings out.





	It Still Hurts

A knock on the door jerked him out of his dark thoughts. Suddenly, the pain coming back to him, he curled further in on himself, attempting to bury himself further into his bed mattress.

“Max?”

He didn’t answer.

“This is my room too, you know.”

The corner of his mouth jerked a little in a somewhat smile. Of course his brother would be blunt about things.

Rafe knocked again, then tried the knob. “Why is the door locked?”

Max’s little grin vanished as the tears came back. It wasn’t like him to easily cry like this, but he couldn’t help it. His lip quivered and he clutched himself tighter, trying to stifle the small sobs that were threatening to escape him.

“Is something wrong?”

Max inhaled, shaky and too loud. He quickly brought a hand to his mouth, hoping his brother didn’t hear it.

“Max?!”

_ Dammit. _ Fingers tightened around his face as the tears came out faster. Max tried to be as quiet as possible, holding his breath in hopes of quieting himself.

A few moments passed before Rafe spoke again. “Please let me in Max.” his brother said defeated.

Max’s hand fell from his face back to his arm he was clutching before. He didn’t feel the urge to cry anymore. Didn’t feel anything. “Go away.” he said. His voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper, but somehow Rafe heard it. He heard a small gasp escape his brother before Max allowed himself to be plunged into his depressing thoughts again.

Before Max knew it he jumped at a hand being placed on his shoulder. He looked up and met the wide and worried eyes of Rafe’s. “Max?” his brother tried again.

Max blinked before realizing what happened. Of course Rafe picked the lock on the door handle. Max turned his head back to the wall.

“Max, please talk to me.”

He didn’t answer.

“Dad and Papa have been worried about you since you got home.”

Max had the sudden overwhelming urge to cry all over again.

“Did something happen at school?”

One tear escaped.

“Did something happen in one of your classes?”

Another.

“Max-”

“It’s nothing.” Max finally mumbled, not looking up to meet his brother.

“Right, because you’re laying in bed depressed as fuck for no reason.” Rafe chastised, losing his patience.

Max’s eyes pinched shut, tears flowing faster.  


Rafe spoke again, angrier this time. “Look Max, I get we haven’t really communicated lately, but that doesn’t mean you have to straight up ignore me when I’m trying to talk to you.”

Max’s lower lip trembled.

Rafe scoffed. “Right, because now that you’re in high school too, you’re ‘too cool’ to talk to your brother about your feelings. ‘Because that’s a dumb thing to do.’” Rafe mocked. He hastily got out of bed and marched over to the door, the light from the hallway pooling into the dark room as he yanked the door open.

“They called me a fag.”

Rafe stopped dead in his tracks. Max’s voice was barely a whisper, broken and trembling, but he heard it clearly.

“One of my new classes,” Max started, talking about the new semester. “has Chase and his gang friends in it. When Mr. Jenkins went to the bathroom they cornered me and starting saying how I was an unlovable fag. How people like me are disgusting and deserve to rot in hell. That the only reason I’m like this-” Max choked on a sob. “is because I was raised by two other fags who took undeserved pity on an unwanted newborn.”

Rafe stood there, newfound anger and the urge to beat up a certain group of shitheads boiling in his veins. “Max-”

“I know,” he said, cutting Rafe off. “I don’t believe them.” More tears escaped and Max finally allowed a sob to escape his lips. “But it still really fucking hurt.” Rafe’s boiling veins dissipated. He surged forward back towards the bed and gathered his younger brother in his arms. Max clung to Rafe like his life depended on it and sobbed into his shirt.

Magnus and Alec, now hearing Max’s cries, rushed to the boys’ room. Their hearts shattered at the sight of Max, who’s always so upbeat and carefree, crying his eyes out into Rafe’s shirt. Rafe looked up at them, his eyes begging them to do something. He had to clue what else to do. Alec and Magnus shared a look before joining Rafe and wrapping their arms around both boys, hoping it would be enough to shield them from everything wrong with the world.

**Author's Note:**

> This was basically just written as a quick vent. I'm okay, I promise. I'll post a new chapter to my other story soon.


End file.
